Paralysis
by CadillacJack
Summary: Sleep Paralysis has often been described as the state in which the body remains asleep while the mind remains awake. A person is placed between their dreams and reality as their nightmares come alive. For most people, Sleep Paralysis is a terrifying ordeal. For Fox Mccloud, it is to become a living hell.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello folks!**

 **Recently, I've come across the concept of Sleep Paralysis from watching several videos on YouTube, which detailed how horrific it can truly be. I've always found it unnerving that a person could dream up such horrifying scenarios, and yet feel like it's actually happening in real life. So I toyed with the idea for a while, and decided that a scary idea like that would be a great idea for a horror story. And I decided to do it in the Star Fox universe, because why the heck not? ;)**

 **All words in** _Italics_ **indicate people's thoughts.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Fox, unfortunately.**

 **Paralysis**

The Great Fox II silently drifted through the endless space of the Lylat system. Every room and hallway within the ship was immersed in near-complete silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the various beeps and roars of the ship's inner workings. These sounds were the only thing that prevented the inner corridors from being as silent as the space outside. To the average person, the empty rooms and walkways provided an unsettling atmosphere. But to ROB, it was merely an indication that the Great Fox was secure and free of any stowaways.

Currently, ROB was stationed in the hanger control room, monitoring the conditions both inside and outside the ship. He was also monitoring the progress of the Star Fox team's latest mission.

Earlier that day, a cargo ship containing dangerous goods was planning to ship from Papetoon to a research center on Corneria. Unfortunately, a band of pirates had decided to hijack the freighter and ordered the Cornerian government to pay them 2 billion credits. Otherwise, they would slaughter the whole crew and ransack the entire cargo. Thankfully, the cargo captain had managed to send out an urgent SOS before he was roughly bound, gagged and taken to the special room with the other hostages. Upon hearing this SOS, the Star Fox raced over to Papetoon and managed to defeat the pirates, rescue the hostages and spare any precious cargo within the ship.

After the dust had settled, and the authorities arrived, the Star Fox team quickly boarded their Arwings and headed straight back to the Great Fox. Although this battle was the only exciting event to happen, on an otherwise boring day, the team felt just as exhausted as if they had completed 20 missions back to back.

Just as ROB was scanning the sonar for any foreign objects outside the ship, he heard the voice of Fox Mccloud come through the PA system.

"Mission was successful ROB. Requesting entry into the hanger."

Along with taking notice of the weariness in Fox's voice, ROB activated the commands to open the hanger doors, to which they began to open steadily. After the doors had opened, each Arwing flew in, slowed their pace and landed back in the hanger in a textbook operation procedure.

After the hanger doors had closed, Falco immediately popped open his canopy and jumped down towards the hanger floor below.

"Man oh man," he said while he stretched out his back. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm about ready to hit the sack after that doozy."

"Agreed Falco," Krystal replied after she too made it back down. "That mission was a lot more tiring than I thought. But it feels good knowing that the crew and cargo are safe."

"Yeah, it gives me a tingling feeling just thinking about it," Slippy remarked.

"I think that's your heartburn firing up again," Falco joked.

Krystal let out a little laugh at this before saying, "Well, I think I'm going to call it a night too. Right now a bed just sounds heavenly."

Krystal paused for a moment before she suddenly realized that Fox was still up in his Arwing. She immediately began climbing up the ladder that led to the Arwing's canopy. Upon reaching the top, Krystal peered in and saw that Fox was sleeping in his chair. His body remained buckled to the seat and his head rolled off towards his left side.

Krystal took a moment to observe Fox in his slumber. For her, there was no better time that Fox looked more attractive than when he slept.

" _He looks so natural in that state,"_ Krystal thought. _"He's not worried about something or in mortal danger, he's just peaceful."_

Krystal was suddenly interrupted by Slippy's concerned and whiny voice.

"Is Fox okay Krystal?"

"Relax frogger," Falco stated. "If something was wrong with Fox, Krystal would have sensed something earlier."

Krystal turned back towards the boys.

"It's okay guys! He's just sleeping."

"He's asleep? Wow, he must have been tired if he fell asleep in that chair," Falco remarked.

"Hey, I worked hard to make sure those chairs were comfortable!" Slippy defensively proclaimed.

"Yeah but it doesn't change the fact that my ass feels numb after riding in it long enough!" Falco retorted.

"Takes one to know one!"

Krystal rolled her eyes at how childish the boys could get. She placed two fingers in her mouth and gave a loud whistle, which immediately caught Falco and Slippy's attention.

"As enlightening as your conversation is, shouldn't we just wake Fox?" Krystal asked before she turned to look at him again.

Falco nodded before replying, "Yeah totally. Let me just go get some warm water in a bowl and I'll help him… get back on his feet."

Krystal mentally groaned. Despite being from a different planet, she was no stranger to the practical jokes that the other kids used to play on each other.

"Actually Falco I have another idea."

Krystal closed her eyes and took a slow inward breath. Before long, Fox gave a surprised yelp before he jerked up in his seat. Fox took the time to slowly catch his breath before he slowly looked over to his left. Upon seeing Krystal's smiling and pleasant face, Fox let out a groan and flopped back into his seat. Krystal then moved back down the ladder towards the others.

"I think that did the trick," she said.

It wasn't long before the canopy came open and Fox began to jadedly climb down. Once he reached the bottom he asked Krystal, "What was that?"

Krystal gave a reassuring smile and responded, "I simply made a mental kind of alarm clock."

"Yeah," Fox added while he rubbed his forehead. "By making a loud shriek that even a banshee would complain about!"

"Well I thought it would be a better method than Falco's idea," Krystal added.

"Let me guess, the warm water in the bowl."

"Yes! How did you know?" she asked.

Fox shifted his gaze over to Falco. "Let's just say… I've been with him long enough."

Falco gave a cocky smile before he suddenly let out a huge yawn. "Well I think my work here is done for the day. I'm gonna hit the hay. See ya in the morning!"

And with that, Falco made his way out of the hanger.

"For once I agree with Falco," Slippy yawned. "Goodnight Fox, Krystal."

Slippy made his way out of the hanger, leaving only Fox and Krystal. Fox made a slight chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Hey… thanks for waking me up Krystal. I will admit I did prefer waking up your way than to his."

Krystal smiled. "Not a problem Fox. I figured I'd at least spare your dignity instead of your nerves."

Fox chuckled before Krystal gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Sweet dreams Fox."

Fox watched Krystal move playfully out of the hanger. " _Yep, she is defiantly something else._ "

XXXXXXX

Upon getting back to his room, Fox immediately took off his boots and socks. He relished in the feeling of his feet being exposed to the air conditioning. He then undressed and put on a pair of white exercise shorts. Although the room was at a comfortable temperature, Fox preferred to sleep in little to no clothing, due to the fact that his fur always made him feel a little extra warm.

Fox got a glass of water and spent time reading: 'The Bardy Boys: Curse of the Ragged Peak', a childhood favorite. After he read for about ten minutes, Fox let out a huge yawn. He placed the book back on the nightstand, pulled the covers up and turned off his lamp.

Fox lay flat on his back. He readjusted slightly to get more comfortable and then fell asleep almost at once.

XXXXXXX

He wasn't sure what woke him. He just found himself peering at the ceiling with his eyes wide open. Due to his alarm clock having a projection feature, Fox saw the time displayed on the ceiling. It was 2:00 am, he had only been asleep for almost two hours.

Fox sighed before he reached over for his glass of water. But upon doing so, Fox noticed that he could only move his eyes toward the glass of water. His arms had refused to work. Fox saw his feet poking out at the edge of the bed and tried to move them as well. But they too were unresponsive to his internal commands. It was almost as if a switch had been cut off between his brain and the rest of his body.

However, upon feeling his racing heartbeat, Fox immediately tried to calm himself down by taking a few deep breaths.

" _It's going to be okay. There's a logical explanation for this somewhere_ ," he thought to himself.

But just then, his door slid open. Fox was immediately startled by this for several reasons. The door could only be opened from the inside and yet he saw no one standing by the inside of the door. Even though there was a card that would open the door from the outside, in case of an emergency, Fox was sure he had left it with ROB. And ROB, as he knew, was still stationed back in the hanger.

But the most troubling thing of all to Fox was that when the door opened, there was no one in sight. It wasn't a concerned member of his team and it wasn't someone with an emergency card. There was only a silent, darkened hallway.

After what felt like hours, Fox called out, "H-h-hello? Is anybody there?" Fox had attempted to sound brave, but came off more as a frightened child who just saw a monster in their closet.

For a while nothing happened. But then, Fox saw a darkened figure poke its head in from the left upper edge of the door. There was no fur, eyes or even teeth. It was just a non-transparent man-shaped mass of blackness.

Fox felt his heart race up again and he felt the sweat drip down his face like a waterfall. Although the shape in question had no facial expressions to read, Fox had a deep feeling that this shape was not friendly in its existence. There also seemed to be no fidgeting, shuffling or even breathing coming from the shape. There was only silence.

All of a sudden, the figure begin to hover, not step, into Fox's room. Fox saw that the figure was far bigger than he initially thought. The black mass continued to grow in size as it got closer and closer to his bed. The figure finally stopped at the foot of the bed and continued to keep his silent gaze.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the blackness began to spread across the entire room. Everything within Fox's sight, including the door, bookcase and even the projected time on the ceiling began to fade away into the darkness. Whatever this thing was, it spared no corner of the room until the only thing that Fox could make out was his own bed.

Despite its alarming growth, Fox could still make out the head of the figure, which was still silently staring down at him.

By this point, Fox was beyond terrified. He tried to call out for his teammates, for ROB, for anyone who could wake him from this nightmare. Unfortunately, Fox began to feel his mouth becoming just as paralyzed and useless, as the rest of his body.

But just then, Fox began to hear a familiar voice.

"You know Fox…I just love to watch you sleep."

Startled, Fox somehow managed to croak out, "Kr-krystal?"

Fox had been no stranger to hearing Krystal's voice in his mind, on account of her telepathy. But this voice was not one of a mental thought; this sound came directly beside him, as if Krystal was sitting right next to his ear.

Fox tried to see if in fact Krystal was right beside him, instead of the never-ending darkness. But once again, he found that he couldn't move. In addition, he also couldn't move his eyes enough to see her. Krystal was completely in his blind spot.

In spite of this, Fox gave a mental sigh of relief. It was reassuring enough to at least hear a comforting voice in this frightening predicament.

But then, Fox's eyes began to adjust to the darkness and he saw strange bumps start to appear all around him. He even began to see them grow out of the sheets on his bed. Before Fox could even begin to ponder what they were, Krystal's voice came back to him. But now the voice was spoken in a sing-song kind of manner. In addition, it also sounded psychotically delightful, as if it were a serial killer who was just about to end the lives of more than one person.

"I just love to watch you sleep."

Without warning, every single bump in the room opened themselves up to reveal a fully realistic turquoise eye. The multiple turquoise eyes began to fix their gaze towards Fox without a single blink. Fox instantly recognized them as the eyes of Krystal. Those same eyes that had once entranced Fox for their beauty, where now giving him more terror than any mission he had faced in the past.

Fox gazed back up towards the ceiling and saw the black shape beginning to show lumps on his head. His heart beat raced out of control as he knew what was to come next.

The lumps opened to reveal the same eyes, which by now were all over the walls and his sheets. The figure then began to open its mouth and made a wide, never-ending smile. But instead of regular teeth, the figure had a smile of turquoise eyeballs which still continued to stare at Fox.

Fox tore his gaze off the figure to reveal that his feet had also begun to change. The bright orange fur gave away to reveal more eyeballs. Before long, his feet were nothing but an army of fixated turquoise eyes. Fox's own eyes grew wider as he again struggled to move any part of his body, but again they remained unresponsive to his commands.

" _Got to get up,_ " he thought fanatically. " _I can't stand to look at this thing any longer! I can't stand to look at any of this!_ "

Fox closed his eyes and continued pushing himself to move anything. Even a slight twitch of his finger would give him some reassurance that he could escape from this nightmare.

Just when Fox felt like his heart was going to explode from all his exertion, he suddenly felt himself jolt up in bed, his arms frantically outstretched before him. The movement was so sudden, that Fox could barely comprehend what had happened until he felt himself flop back down on his bed. Fox laid on his back for a while, with his eyes still closed, and began to rapidly breathe in and out. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and saw that the room was exactly as it was before. The blackness was gone, the door was closed and even his feet had returned to their natural state. The clock continued to project its time on the ceiling, which now read 3:30 am.

Fox glanced to his right and saw that both his book and water glass were still in the same spot. The water had remained completely untouched. Fox immediately grabbed the water and began chugging it down, thankful to have something quench his now extremely parched throat.

After he finished the water, Fox put the glass back on the nightstand and placed his head into his hands. He was still shaking from his ordeal.

" _What the fuck was that? I know it was probably just a nightmare but… it felt so real. Nightmares aren't supposed to be that real._ "

Before he could think any further, Fox heard a knock at his door. Although it was only a slight knock, Fox was severely startled by the sudden noise in his otherwise silent room.

"Fox…are you alright?"

Fox breathed sigh of relief as he heard Krystal's voice come back to him. He quietly got up and walked over to the door. He stood near the door for a while before he replied, "Yeah I'm fine Krystal. I just had a bad dream."

There was a brief pause before he heard, "Are you sure? Your thought patterns seemed quite different this time."

Fox became annoyed. As much as he wanted to tell her about everything that had just happened, he was just not in the mood right now. Trying to not let his frustrations come through, Fox answered, "Look can we talk about this in the morning Krystal? I just need some time alone right now, okay?"

Once again, a silence had come between the two. Fox began to worry that he had hurt Krystal's feelings.

"Oh…okay Fox. I understand. Just remember that I'm here if you need anything."

And with that, Fox heard the light footsteps move away from his door and down the hallway. Fox gave a groan at his own ignorance before he crawled back into bed. This time, he turned on his lamp, picked up his book and began to read. But try as he would, he could not forget those horrifying images of the black shape, the eyes for teeth and those eyes replacing his feet. Fox constantly shuddered at the unwarranted memories before he decided to get up and head to his personal bathroom.

Fox sat on the toilet before he once again tried to take a few deep breathes and think of more positive things. By this point, Fox was feeling extremely tired. He unsuccessfully tried to suppress several yawns as he felt himself dozing off again. With his weariness overshadowing his fear, Fox leaned back, placed his head against the wall and began his descent back into dreamland.

 **Wow this chapter was a lot longer than I thought it would be. But in any case, I'm finally finished the first part of my story. Hope you enjoyed it!**

 **I'm going to be taking a bit of a vacation starting this Friday. But rest assured that the ideas are still kicking and I will definitely try to update soon.**

 **Until then: Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well I'm back from vacation and I'm all pumped and ready to go on with the show. In addition, I also wanted to thank everyone who reviewed and/or followed my story. This was my first trek into the Star Fox universe and I'm glad I managed to grab your attention and invoke your interest in my story. Hope you all enjoy my new chapter! :)**

 **Also I wanted to add that when Fox is wearing his uniform, I'm referring to the one from Assault.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any Star Fox material, only my never-ending love for it.**

 **Paralysis part 2**

Upon opening his eyes, Fox found himself lying on the cold, tiled bathroom floor. The lights were still on and the door was still closed. For a while, Fox had a brief lapse of amnesia as he tried to comprehend why he was in the bathroom and why he was lying on the floor. His mind was still groggy and his eyes still had sleep in them.

Suddenly, everything came back to him in a flash. The mission, coming home, talking with Krystal, going to bed, waking up, going to the bathroom. He started to remember why he was in here in the first place.

" _But why am I sprawled on the floor when I remember putting my head against the wall?_ "

Fox glanced back to see that the toilet was indeed behind him. In addition, the toilet seat was still down, as it had been when he had sat down on it earlier.

" _Hmm…must have tossed in my sleep and landed on the floor._ "

Fox got back on his feet and brushed himself off. He then started to register on what he had just thought.

" _But if I fell off…wouldn't I have felt it?_ "

Normally, Fox would have further contemplated on the situation, as it came off as slightly eerie to him. But because of his groggy state of mind, he decided to simply drop the subject matter and focus on his morning routine.

Fox sighed before he stripped down and walked over to the shower. He reached his hand into the shower and pulled the metal knob up towards the warm label. Fox placed his hand under the running water, as he felt it go from being ice cold to a more lukewarm temperature. Satisfied that the water was now at a more desirable temperature, Fox stepped into the shower and closed the door behind him. The warm water felt like heaven against his aching body and tired mind. Fox immediately felt rejuvenated as he began to wash himself with his hair/body gel.

" _Yeah, this is more like it._ "

Fox turned his attention to the day at hand, which seemingly appeared to be a regular kind of day. Fox then began to think about Krystal, which always managed to put a smile on his face.

" _She's so beautiful. Everything from her smile, her spirit, her kindness, her eyes…_ "

Fox immediately stopped his train of thought and his eyes bulged open. The nightmares of last night came back to him in a flash. He remembered the opening door, the black figure and the eyes. Krystal's eyes. Eyes that were watching his every move, eyes that had appeared on his body and on the figure's face. Fox's blood became ice cold as he remembered not only the horrific images, but also how he felt during it. Not being able to move a single muscle. Only being able to lay there and watch his nightmare unfold.

Fox stood still for a moment, lost in his runaway train of thoughts, before he shook his head, closed his eyes and moved his face into the shower stream. The warm water provided relief as he began to calm down.

" _It's okay, it was just a dream. A very…odd, real and fucked up kind of a dream._ "

Fox spent a few more minutes in the shower before he turned off the water and stepped out. He dried himself off, brushed his teeth and combed his head-fur. After ensuring that his outward appearance was clean, Fox stepped into his room and grabbed his uniform out of the closet. In less than 5 minutes, Fox was fully dressed. He was about to exit his room, when he noticed that the blanket and sheets from his bed were still disheveled from last night.

With last night's horrifying memories not far behind him, Fox hastily straightened out his bed, hurried to the panel, activated the door to slide open and practically ran from the room.

" _I just got to get out of there! I just…got to get out._ "

After his door automatically closed, Fox straightened himself out and began walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. Along the way, Fox began to notice that the hallway was quiet, unnervingly quiet. The only sounds he heard were the faint roars and hums of the ship's mechanism and the sound of his boots walking along the corridor. It gave him a creepy feeling.

" _Geez…never realized how creepy these hallways were. Wait…no, no, no…you're just freaked out so much by your dreams that now everything is suddenly eerie to you! Get a fucking grip!_ "

XXXXXXX

Fox eventually made it to the kitchen without seeing anybody on the way. He found this odd, considering that he was usually up the same time as his teammates, especially Krystal. They would usually meet up in the hallway, and talk amongst themselves, as they walked to the kitchen.

The kitchen door slid open and Fox saw that Falco was sitting at the kitchen table, eating a plate of waffles and drinking a cup of coffee. Falco immediately looked up towards Fox.

"Well look who's up finally," Falco remarked.

Fox looked confused before he looked up at the clock and saw that it was 11:30 am.

"Holy shit! It's 11:30 already?" Fox asked bewildered.

"Yep." Falco nodded.

There was a brief silence between the two before Falco added, "It's no big deal or anything. I mean shit, I pretty much make it my mission in life to sleep in. No worries."

Fox gave a slight nod before he turned away from the clock. "I guess that would explain why I didn't see anybody coming down here."

"Yeah, everyone else got here almost two hours ago. We were surprised that we'd beat you here, since you're usually the first one up."

Fox smiled a little, happy to at least be in the company of someone. "Did you guys worry?"

"Nah, we figured you were just sleeping in for a change. So we just decided to leave you be."

Fox chuckled a little. "I guess there's a first time for anything."

Falco turned back to his breakfast while Fox went over to the freezer. While he was searching for extra waffles, Fox asked, "So if you guys got here about two hours ago, why are you just now eating breakfast?"

Falco shrugged. "Figured that I practice down in the shooting range first. Perfecting my skills always helps me to build up an appetite."

Fox shook his head before he made an exasperated sigh.

"Okay where's the waffles?"

Falco snickered. "They would be right here on this plate."

Fox turned away from the freezer. "Falco you have six waffles on that plate!"

"I told you, working up my shooting works up my appetite big time." Falco laughed.

Fox made his way over to the table before he slightly pulled Falco's plate away.

"Leggo my Eggo?"

"Leggo my foot in your ass," Falco replied before he pulled his plate back towards him.

Fox laughed before he made his way over to the pantry. He pulled out a couple of bagels and put them in the toaster. He then grabbed a regular coffee mug and began filling it with the surprisingly still warm coffee. Once the bagels were done, Fox put them on his plate and started to cover them with a thick layer of regular cream cheese. Satisfied with his meal, Fox carried everything over to the table and sat directly across from Falco.

"So wait," Fox started to question. "You were here two hours ago? As in, 9:30 am?"

Falco raised a brow. "Yeah, so?"

"Well it's just that I've never seen you in here that early. You usually sleep in until noon or later."

Falco smirked. "Well after we completed the mission yesterday, I went straight to my room and crashed right onto the bed. I was so tired that I didn't even stay up late like I usually do. So because of that, I found myself awake by about 9 am. I couldn't fall back asleep so I just decided to get up, shower and head to the kitchen. Which coincidently, is when everyone else, except you, got up as well."

Fox gave a slight understanding nod before he turned back to his breakfast.

For a while, the two of them ate in a moment of relatively rare silence. After he finished his bagels, Fox started to drink his coffee at a steady pace. During this, he kept his head down towards his mug.

"You alright Fox?"

Fox was slightly startled by the sudden noise, on account of his current jumpy mindset. He gradually lifted his head to face his teammate.

"Yeah I'm fine Falco. Why wouldn't I be?"

Falco shrugged. "I dunno know…you just look a little tired, what with all those black lines under your eyes.

Fox just nodded. "Let's just say…I had a rough night."

"Ahh I see, you and Krystal doing the barrel roll all night long," Falco smirked as Fox gave him a death glare.

"What? The rooms are soundproof! It's totally possible that you two could have banged and we wouldn't have noticed!"

Fox got up from his seat and walked over to the dishwasher. He placed his dishes in before he turned back towards Falco. "You're a real asshole you know that?"

Falco grinned. "Hey, it's my calling."

Falco finished his waffles before he made his way towards the dishwasher. He also put his dishes in before he stood next to Fox, leaning on the counter while he did so.

"In all seriousness Fox, is that why you're tired or is it something else?"

Fox sighed a bit, happy to know that Falco had at least a shred of compassion under his smart ass complexion. "No Falco…I just couldn't sleep. I kept having bad dreams all night."

"Care to share them with me?" Falco curiously asked.

Fox thought for a moment before he shook his head. "I…can't seem to remember them now. All I know was that it scared be more than any nightmare I've had before. When I woke up, I just couldn't get back to sleep afterwards."

Falco nodded. "Well, I'm sure you'll probably forget all about it by the end of the day anyways. It'll probably be just like a bad day, it can only get better the next time."

Fox sighed before he gave a look of surprise at Falco. Falco acknowledged Fox's gaze and chuckled. "Hey come on, I can be sentimental too…sometimes."

Fox smirked before he stretched out his back.

"Well, I think I'm gonna get going," Falco said. "I think I'm gonna go hit the workout room."

"Sounds good," Fox replied. "I don't think we've got anything planned for today."

"So I guess this means you'll be hittin Krystal's room all day, huh," Falco hinted while he nudged Fox.

Fox gave a low growl before Falco laughed and made a hasty exit from the kitchen. Once again, Fox was alone. The silence had returned to embrace him and his thoughts. It was odd, considering that Fox, at one time, had quite enjoyed a moment of silence. Moments where he could just relax, not have to worry about anyone's life in danger or even his own. He could just take a moment to be with his thoughts. But now, for some reason, the silence within the room just came across as unsettling to him. He couldn't place his finger on it, but he just felt unnerved by being alone in a quiet area.

Fox simply chalked it up to his paranoia, on account of last night's terrors, and quickly shook his head before he made his way out of the room.

XXXXXXX

Fox walked at a steady pace towards Krystal's room, hoping to once again be in the company of someone. As he walked down the hallway, Fox began to feel guilty about lying to Falco about forgetting his nightmares. Looking back, he kind of wished that he gave Falco a little bit more information about his night terrors, and how they were anything but ordinary.

" _I mean…Falco may not be the most compassionate guy ever, but at least he would hear me out. Give me some piece of advice. Give me some kind of down to earth thoughts._ "

But at the same time, Fox also knew that this was his own problem and that he didn't want to necessarily drag Falco into it as well.

But he did know of someone who would be both understanding and caring towards his concerns. Someone who he could always count on to listen to him and offer a supporting hand. Krystal. Ever since the time when he and Krystal shared their backstories, as well as their sorrow/sympathy over the loss of their parents, Fox felt a special bond come between them. A bond in which they could always come together, to express any concerns they had, and offer them support in their time of need. And this, Fox thought, was defiantly a time when he needed Krystal's support.

Before long, Fox made it over towards Krystal's door. He was just about to knock, when the door suddenly opened, revealing Krystal standing there with a pleasant expression on her face. Fox practically jumped back in surprise at the sudden action to which Krystal laughed a little bit.

"Sorry Fox! I didn't mean to startle you. I just caught your thought patterns as you were coming down the hallway, and I thought I'd just prepare for you."

Fox calmed down a little and smiled. "Sorry Krys, I'm just a little jumpy today. In fact, that's actually why I came to see you."

Krystal nodded before she stepped back and motioned for Fox to come in. Fox followed promptly as the door closed behind him. Upon stepping in, Fox immediately took note that the room was bathed in a dim light. In addition, there was a purple mat set up right next to Krystal's bed, which also adorned two light blue cushions that stood directly apart from each other.

"Sorry about the conditions, I was just in the middle of my meditation," Krystal explained.

"Oh," Fox replied looking down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay Fox. You needed someone to talk too. I'm always willing to take a moment and listen to your concerns." Krystal then walked over and gave Fox a kiss on his nose. "Besides, when it's you who comes knocking…I don't see it as a distraction."

Fox blushed so hard he was sure it was showing through his bright orange fur. Krystal chuckled before she and Fox made their way over to the meditation mat and sat down on the cushions.

"Wow," Fox began. "These are really comfy!"

Krystal smiled. "I know. They always help me to relax. Especially after a long day of escaping death."

The two foxes shared a laugh over this before they relaxed themselves in a comfortable amount of quiet. Krystal then reached over and gently held Fox's hand.

"I knew you'd be coming by Fox. Considering what you said to me last night."

Fox dropped his gaze, remembering how guilty he felt after driving Krystal away without a second thought.

"I'm so sorry Krystal. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings and push you away and make you worry and…"

Before Fox could continue, Krystal lightly placed a finger on Fox's lips, which immediately ceased his rambling."

"It's okay Fox. I completely understand. You just didn't feel like talking about it at that particular time. You just needed some time alone. I get that."

Fox took a deep breath. "You're right Krystal. Thanks."

Krystal smiled warmly. "Feel free to tell me whatever's on your mind. Whenever you're ready."

Fox nodded before he took several deep breaths. "Okay…so last night, I went to bed as usual. I remember reading for a bit, lying on my back and then I just found myself awake. Or at least… having my eyes open to the ceiling. I tried to get my glass of water off the nightstand but I couldn't move anything. Everything except my eyes were paralyzed."

Krystal's expression grew more concerned, as more details of Fox's nightmare came through. But she simply said nothing and allowed him to continue.

"So just as I was trying to comprehend all this, my door suddenly opened and no one was standing there. And then…I saw a dark, featureless figure poke its head in from the edge of my door before it began to hover into my room. It just stood there by the edge of bed. I couldn't read its expression but I could still see its head. I saw that it was looking straight at me. It never moved, breathed or even made a sound…it just stared at me."

Fox took a moment to collect himself. The process of digging up his nightmarish memories was giving him a cold chill.

"So anyway…it continued to look at me and then it suddenly began to take over the room. It's like everything in my room, except my bed, turned into blackness. I couldn't see anything else except the creature's head which still looked down at me. That's when…I started to see the bumps. They were these weird growths that started to appear everywhere, even on my sheets."

Fox paused. The events that took place afterwards were not only the most disturbing part of his dreams, but they also involved the very same person he was talking to. The very same person he loved.

"That's when…I heard your voice speaking to me."

Krystal's eyebrows raised in a puzzled manner. "You heard my voice?"

"Yeah! It was like you sitting right next to me and speaking into my ear. I tried to move my eyes to see you, but you were completely in my blind spot."

"What did I say to you Fox?" Krystal asked.

"You said…you know Fox I just love to watch you sleep."

Krystal's eyes widened. "That's odd. Just yesterday when I saw you sleeping in your Arwing, I kind of thought the same thing."

Fox's ear twitched as he suddenly had a bizarre hypothesis. "Krystal…you know how sometimes you send me your thoughts, on account of your telepathy?"

Krystal nodded before Fox continued. "Do you think it's possible that…maybe you thought about me sleeping in your dreams and you brought those words into my mind?"

"You mean, because of my telepathy?" Krystal asked, to which Fox nodded.

Krystal took a moment to digest everything she had just heard.

"It's possible. Although usually once I fall asleep I use more of my own internal thoughts than my telepathy. I've never heard the rest of the team say that they saw or heard me in their dreams. Still…I guess anything's possible."

Fox sighed before he continued. "So after I heard your voice, I was feeling a little at ease by at least hearing something familiar. But then I heard your voice again, only it said…I just love to watch you sleep. That's when every single bump in room turned into an eye. Realistic, unblinking eyes that just stared at me."

By now Fox was shaking. Krystal immediately reached over to her night table and grabbed her glass of water. She gingerly passed it over to Fox, who accepted it almost instantly. He gulped the water down quickly and began to settle down.

"Thanks, I needed that," Fox said as he passed the glass back to Krystal.

Krystal made a sympathetic look, as she placed the glass back on the table.

"So…after I saw all the eyes, I then started to see them on the figure too. He not only had eyes, but he also had a smile entirely made up of eyeballs. But the thing that freaked me out the most…was that my feet became those same eyes. They wasn't any fur or anything, there were just…eyes."

Krystal felt chills spread throughout her entire body. She was beginning to understand why Fox was having a hard time telling her all of this.

"But the most disturbing thing of all, I mean the real nail on the coffin…was that these eyes were your eyes Krystal. They had the turquoise color and everything."

Krystal took a moment to digest this disturbing development. The fact that a part of her could make it into Fox's nightmare made her feel oddly guilty in a way.

"So after I saw all of this…I began to panic even more and I desperately tried to move my body in some way. I just focused more and more of my energy on attempting to move myself. But then, I suddenly shot up in bed with my arms outstretched in front of me. It was like my nightmare was on a timer and it finally ran out. I fell back on the bed, opened my eyes and my room was exactly the way it was before. Even my water glass and book were in the same spot I left them in. I tried to calm myself down by reading for a bit, but those horrifying images I saw kept haunting me. I walked into the bathroom and I ended up falling asleep on the toilet."

Krystal breathed in and out as she trembled slightly. It reminded her of when she and her friends used to tell ghost stories back on Cerinia. The only difference now was that this story was real. And it was happening to a person she cared very deeply for.

"Well Fox that's…quite a story," Krystal stated in a frightened tone. "I've never heard anything like that before."

Fox raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

Krystal nodded. "I've never heard anything like that happening on Cerinia. Of course, I was only 9 when…"

"Right," Fox quickly replied, not wanting Krystal to think of that tragic time in her life.

"And as far as I know, any medial documents or experiments, that might have detailed something like that, were destroyed along with the planet."

Fox nodded before he had a sudden theory. "Krystal, you said that it was possible that your voice could travel mentally, when you're not actively using it, right?"

Krystal nodded, curious to see where Fox was going with this.

"Is it possible that…your mind…somehow created an entire dream for me?"

"Fox…are you saying that my mind is responsible for turning your dreams into nightmares?" Krystal slowly asked.

Fox twirled his fingers for a moment. "Well…maybe."

Krystal stared at Fox for a good 10 seconds before she began to laugh. She started off small before her laugh grew in volume. Before long, Krystal nearly keeled over from laughing so hard. Fox just stared at Krystal with a blank expression on his face. He had absolutely no idea what has happening or how he should even react to it.

Krystal laughed for almost 20 seconds before she eventually calmed down and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Oh Fox," Krystal sighed. "That is one of the silliest things I have heard in a while."

"What do you mean?" Fox asked dumbfounded.

"I mean, while I do possess psychic abilities that does not mean I have the power to manipulate other people's minds like that. I may have powers Fox but I'm not a supervillain."

Fox began to think about Krystal's explanation before he too began to laugh at his crazy theory. He laughed for a while before he gave out a sigh.

"I'm sorry I jumped to that Krystal. It's just…"

"I understand Fox. You just want to look at this problem from every single angle. If I was experiencing this occurrence, I would be jumping to conclusions too."

Fox simply grinned. He got up from his cushion and began to stretch his back. Krystal soon followed his actions. He then went over and wrapped Krystal in a hug.

"Thanks for listening to me Krys. I really appreciate it," Fox whispered.

"No problem Fox," Krystal whispered back. "I'm just sorry I couldn't be much help."

Fox chuckled before he kissed Krystal on the lips. "Actually Krystal, I'm feeling a lot better now. I guess it just feels good to get all of this off my chest."

"Well I'm glad I could help then Fox," Krystal replied.

"Besides," Fox add. "I think I now know who to also talk to about this."

"Who would that be Fox?" Krystal asked.

Fox smiled. "Just a couple of old friends that I haven't talked to in a while."

 ***Breathes in and out* Finally Finished!**

 **Good golly that was a long one. I know there's not too much action in this chapter but hey a new chapter is always cool. Besides writing dialogue is pretty fun too. Especially Falco's :)**

 **I'm not quite sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'm hoping to get it up before September, when I have to do that oh so wonderful task of going back to school.**

 **Until then: Peace!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone!**

 **As you all might have guessed, this will be the chapter that I bring Miyu Lynx and Fay Spaniel into the picture.**

 **I think it's actually quite fitting that I'm using them, considering that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the original planned release of Star Fox 2. The game that would have introduced the two to the gaming world. But sadly, the game got canceled and the possibility for them to become as well integrated into the Star Fox universe as Krystal, pretty much went out the window.**

 **And since I'm not holding my breath, for them to appear in Star Fox Zero, I figured I could at least use them in this story. Give a little balance to the world. :)**

 **Anyways, on with the show!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Do not own Star Fox. Period.**

 **Paralysis part 3**

Upon walking into his room, Fox immediately closed the door behind him. He had made it back in record time, due to his desire to spend as little time as possible within the unnervingly quiet corridors. But he had also hurried back, because he wanted to make sure that he could reach his friends in time.

Fox made his way over to the desk, where his visual communicator was located, and turned the power on. The machine roared to life before the holographic screen appeared in front of him. Fox punched in his login code and waited as it started to take him to the home page. The page finally loaded and Fox saw his modestly sized collection of contacts. Fox scrolled through the list before he found the two people he was looking for. Miyu Lynx and Fay Spaniel. He began to smile as he started to remember his former teammates.

Miyu Lynx and Fay Spaniel had once been pilots on the Star Fox team, back in the days of when the team consisted of Fox, Falco, Slippy and Peppy. They had both been excellent fighters in the field, and great company when they managed to receive some down time. But as they grew older and wiser, they began to wonder if they should consider applying for a job that held a steadier stream of income. Fox listened to their concerns and told them that they were free to do whatever they felt was right. No matter what they chose, he would support them in any way possible.

Afterwards, the girls stayed on the team for a while, until the supply of jobs began to run dry. They decided that it was a perfect time to cut their losses and look for different employment. They said their goodbyes to the team and headed off towards Corneria. Fox remained true to his word and managed to put the word in to several big name companies, that two of his fellow pilots were seeking employment. Within a few days, Fay and Miyu received calls left and right from several businesses that asked about a possible job interview.

After taking note of which businesses had called them, Fay and Miyu eventually decided on the ones they wanted to apply to. They fixed up their resumes and scheduled in their job interviews. Although they did not hit success overnight, Fay and Miyu eventually found the jobs that they felt best suited their lifestyles. Miyu, being more adventurous, had gotten a job as a flight instructor at the Cornerian Flight Academy, which was well known for such famous graduates as James Mccloud and Fox Mccloud. Fay, being more on the quiet side, had acquired a job as a secretary at the Cornerian Military Headquarters.

It was this choice that ultimately proved the most fortunate for Fay. Bill Grey, one of the top figures at the facility, had laid eyes on the beautiful poodle and immediately became infatuated with her. Likewise, Fay had also laid her eyes on the handsome bulldog, and felt something within herself just light up. The two began with simple introductions, and small talk, before they eventually moved on to conversations that were more centered on their personal lives. Before long, the two began dating and quickly became one of the most popular couples in Corneria. It wasn't long before everyone, from close friends to tabloid reporters, started to ask when the two would finally tie the knot. But they would always just smile and say that they would be ready when the right time comes.

Miyu had also settled quite well on Corneria, as building a well-structured social life was always one of her top priorities. She and Fay would often do a girls night out every weekend. Usually they would switch up their activities, so that every weekend could seem exciting and new. It was during one particular evening, when the two decided to head to a new club that Miyu ran into Panther Caroso, the notorious flirt of the Star Wolf team. It wasn't too uncommon to catch a glimpse of any member of the Star Wolf team. Due to their heroic actions, of helping to destroy the Aparoid threat, the past bounty that was on their heads was officially cleared.

Miyu and Panther exchanged a few words before they decided to call it a night. But not before Miyu slipped a piece of paper, with her phone number, into Panther's coat pocket. Since then, the two had also begun a steady relationship. Panther, in keeping with his romantic ways, had always managed to send Miyu a rose every week, when the two of them weren't out on the town. While some may have found the act overly sappy and cliché, it was nothing short of reassurance for Miyu that Panther was always thinking of her.

But despite each of their ongoing romances, the two ladies still managed to find plenty of time to hang out with each other. For them, keeping a close connection was as important as having an operational G-Diffuser for an Arwing.

Fox spent so much time thinking about his former teammates, that he had completely forgotten about the video chat. It was only when the screen had turned black, and the words (Did you want more time?) appeared on the screen, that Fox instantly snapped back to reality. Fox clicked yes before he turned back to his list of contacts. He clicked on the icon in the top right-hand corner, which allowed for more than one person to join. The page immediately asked which two people he would like to speak to. Fox used the drop down bar to select both Fay and Miyu before he hit the green call button. The screen turned black and the sound of ringing could be heard in the background.

The ringing went on for a while. Fox began to worry that Fay and Miyu might not have been home. He was starting to wish that he had sent out a text message, about wanting to talk to them, first. But right before he was about to close the chatroom, the ringing abruptly stopped. The screen then immediately switched from a black screen to a live video of Miyu on the left-hand side, and Fay on the right-hand side.

"Hey Miyu. Hey Fay," Fox greeted.

"Hi Fox!" Fay greeted in her endless cheerfulness.

"How ya doing Fox?" Miyu asked casually.

"I'm alright. How about you?"

Miyu shrugged her shoulders. "Doing pretty well I guess. Flight academy's paying me quite handsomely, and I've had a lot of my students pass with flying colors recently."

"Wow, that's great!" Fox applauded.

"Plus," Miyu added before she paused. "I've been going really strong with Panther so far. In fact, he hasn't thought about or even laid eyes on another girl."

"Wow, Panther being able to control himself around other girls, you must have smitten him real good," Fox teased.

Miyu smiled. "I must be doing something right."

"How about you Fay?" Fox asked.

"Oh really well," She cheerfully replied. "Did I tell you that Bill and I are living together now?"

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Uh…I don't think so."

"Oh…really?" Fay asked, puzzled. "I thought I did. But then again, I've been so caught up in everything that maybe I didn't tell you yet. Sorry about that."

Fox just waved his hand. "No worries. But how long have you two been living together now?"

"Almost two weeks," Fay replied. "Miyu was nice enough to help me move all my things into Bill's house."

Miyu snorted. "Yeah, and I almost pulled a muscle from having to move her big ass dresser from her apartment, to the moving van, and then up into the house."

"Oh come on," Fay retorted playfully. "It wasn't that bad. You had Bill there to help you move it in."

"Yeah but that doesn't change the fact that it felt like there was an entire century of encyclopedias stashed in there!" Miyu joked while she stuck her tongue out at Fay.

" _Some things never change,_ " Fox thought, chuckling at the exchange before him.

"Well we did give you a free lunch," Fay added.

Miyu smirked. "Well I guess the pain and suffering of my arms was worth it for that BLT."

Everyone on the video chat laughed. Fox felt his mood lighten a little. But it wasn't long before he started to feel slightly guilty.

"I'm sorry I couldn't lend you a hand Fay. I mean, if I only talked to you sooner we could've…"

"Oh, no worries Fox," Fay quickly added before he could finish. "There wasn't much stuff at my place anyways. And as Miyu mentioned, Bill was there to help us carry all the heavy stuff. Between the three of us we felt pretty confident that we could get everything done."

"Yeah, if we felt that we couldn't handle it you would've been the first person we'd turn too," Miyu chimed in. "Besides, we didn't want to get in the way of your daily task of saving the Lylat system."

Fox chuckled before he suddenly remembered why he had called the two in the first place.

"Um…Miyu, Fay…can I get your thoughts on something?"

"Uh, sure Fox," Miyu answered, curious as to what Fox was getting to.

Fox took a deep breath. "Okay, so…last night…something weird happened."

"Like what?" Fay inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Fox sighed before he began explaining everything about his disturbing nighttime experience. He mentioned everything from waking up for no reason, seeing his door open, a black figure sticking its head in, the figure hovering into his room, the strange bumps that appeared all around him, hearing Krystal's voice right next to him, the bumps turning into Krystal's eyes, the eyes appearing on the figure's face and how they even became his own flesh and blood. But above all, Fox went into great detail about how he had felt during the experience. Feeling completely parlayed all over his body, except for his eyes. Only being able to wake up when he had put all of his will power into it. Fox had to take a few moments to collect himself when he had to again recount his experience. Although he had gotten out all the initial jitters, when he had talked to Krystal, he still shuddered from remembering all the disturbing things he had witnessed.

While he was telling his story, Fox observed the expressions on both Miyu and Fay's faces. He noticed that Fay's expression varied greatly. It initially started off as intrigue at Fox's condition. Then her face became more fearful, and her eyes widened, as Fox mentioned the black figure within his room. When Fox recalled hearing Krystal's voice, Fay raised an eyebrow and she wore a look of confusion. But most noticeably, when Fox mentioned all the eyes he saw, Fay covered her mouth with her hands and she started shaking. Fox remembered how she always seemed to have an active imagination. Being able to visualize stories, from either recollections or books that she read, in amazing detail. Fay always thought of it as a gift in some ways. But this was defiantly one time that she cursed herself for imagining things so clearly.

But while Fay's emotions greatly varied over the course of the story, Miyu seemed to be in a cool, calm state. Her expression wore a look of intrigue throughout Fox's entire story. Once in a while she would raise an eyebrow or twitch an ear, but that was all. She was giving a textbook poker face. This didn't surprise Fox too much, as he remembered how Miyu would often remain cool-headed in dangerous situations. It wasn't to say that she didn't feel anything or didn't care about what others had to say. She just knew when she should either express herself fully, or remain down to earth and look at things through a practical point of view. And this, as both Fox and Miyu knew, was the time for some serious, practical thoughts.

After Fox finished his story, the video chat was in complete silence. Fay continued to cover her mouth with her hands, while Miyu continued to digest all the information that Fox had given her. After about 30 seconds, which felt like hours, Fay eventually breathed out,

"Jesus Christ."

Miyu shook her head a little before she asked, "Have you told Krystal about all this?"

"Yeah," Fox nodded. "Just a while ago. She was the first person I went to. I figured she could shed a little light on this."

"And did she?" Fay asked with great anticipation.

Fox sighed. "No, not really. She said that she's never heard anything like it before. She also said that she had no way of knowing for sure, considering that Cerinia..."

Miyu and Fay each gave an understanding nod, knowing a fair amount of Krystal's tragic past. Miyu stayed quiet for a little while before she spoke again.

"I think you just experienced Sleep Paralysis Fox."

Fox's face scrunched in confusion. "Sleep what?"

"Sleep Paralysis," Miyu casually replied. "It's when your body's asleep, but your mind stays somewhat awake. You're basically caught in between the waking world and the dream world. Because you were in that half-way state, that's why you couldn't move any part of your body, except for your eyes that is. It's also why you were seeing all those hallucinations and why they seemed so real. The part of your mind that was asleep created them, while the part of your mind that was awake made you experience them first-hand.

Fox tried to comprehend everything he had just heard. "So…you're saying that my disturbing episode was all because my mind created it?"

Miyu nodded. "Pretty much."

Fay stared at Miyu in amazement. "How do you know all of this?"

Miyu sheepishly grinned. "I heard about it when I was talking to a group of friends. We got on the subject of the strangest dreams we've ever had. Somebody mentioned it, I got curious, started looking it up, one thing leads to another and now I'm a quote unquote expert on it."

Fay giggled at Miyu's self-proclamation while Fox continued to soak in the entire concept of this so-called Sleep Paralysis.

"So wait…is this whole Sleep Paralysis thing common?" Fox asked.

"Well…maybe not as common as a cold," Miyu answered. "But it certainly happens more often than we think. Fortunately though, only a small percentage of the population usually experiences it more than once."

"So you're saying…that it's completely possible that this was just a one-time thing?" Fox asked, hopeful.

"Absolutely!" Miyu confirmed cheerfully.

Fox breathed a sigh of relief before he thought of something. "But…why would my brain think of something that…horrifying?"

Miyu let out a little chuckle. "Trust me Fox if I knew that, I would be about a million times richer right now."

"And be on your way to becoming a certified Sleep Paralysis expert or your money back!" Fay joked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

It proved to be successful, as everyone immediately started laughing. Fox in particular seemed to laugh the hardest. He had been through so much fear and anxiety recently, that Fay's joke was giving him more happiness than any anti-depressant could ever give him. The trio laughed for a while, before they eventually calmed themselves down.

"Heh, thanks for that Fay," Fox said. "I needed that."

"No problem Fox," Fay smiled. "In fact, thank Miyu for knowing so much about this."

Fox moved his eyes back over towards Miyu's side.

"In all seriousness though Miyu…why do you think Krystal was so prevalent in my nightmare?" Fox asked. "I mean…from her voice to her eyes, she was there!"

Miyu shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you were thinking of Krystal before you went to sleep. Your brain caught it, used it and twisted it into a nightmare."

Fox nodded before he grinned. "Have you ever thought of writing a book on this Miyu? I think you really could be a million times richer!"

Miyu snickered. "Oh come on Fox, this is just stuff I picked up from all my Google searches. I think those guys with the pearly white overcoats and stiff upper lips might be able to give a better diagnosis than I ever could. Besides, being cooped up in a room writing all day might mean I'd have to possibly give up flying."

Fay made a fake gasp before she chimed, "Well we defiantly don't want that now do we? You Miyu are officially banned from writing forever!"

The girls immediately started to giggle. Fox smiled and shook his head, amazed that the two ladies hadn't changed one bit, despite all the years that had gone by. Fox let Miyu and Fay laugh to themselves for a while before he cleared his throat, as a way of getting back their attention.

"So, would you say that I should be worried about this whole Sleep Paralysis thing?" Fox asked Miyu.

"Well based on everything I've heard so far Fox," Miyu began. "I think there's nothing to be afraid of. I mean, when you get down to it, it's all in your mind. It's terrifying don't get me wrong, but really it's just a different kind of nightmare. It can't possibly hurt you in any physical way."

Fox sighed. "I guess so. I mean…I could still walk and talk after I eventually woke up. Still though…it was just…"

"Scary as fucking shit?" Miyu finished with a smile.

Fox laughed at the bluntness of Miyu's statement. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

The three friends continued their conversation. But now, their focus was directed more towards trivial matters. These included everything from their jobs, what they planning to do this weekend and even just random, funny little stories that had happened to them recently. The conversation continued for another 15 minutes, before Fox eventually decided to end it for the day.

"Well I think I better get going. Never know when the universe might be in peril." Fox chuckled. "Thanks for everything girls. I'm actually feeling a lot better now. At least I know what happened to me last night."

"No problem Fox," Fay beamed.

"Yeah, we're your friends Fox," Miyu added. "You helped us in our time of need and now it's only fitting that we can help you too."

"Although could you maybe keep your nightmares more vague next time? I was hoping to get some sleep tonight," Fay politely requested while she shivered slightly.

"I'll do what I can Fay," Fox replied before he started to grin. "But then again, you and Bill are living under the same roof. Maybe he can help you forget all about it."

A deep red blush appeared on Fay's face as she started to giggle. "Well when you put it that way."

"Also tell Bill that he has about 48 hours to marry you or I will steal you away myself. I'm fed up with his tardiness," Fox told Fay, jokingly.

The girls snickered before Fay turned her attention back to Fox.

"I'll see what I can do," Fay replied, with a sly look in her eyes.

Fox turned his attention back to Miyu. Before he could open his mouth to speak, she immediately cut him off.

"I know, I know, make sure that Panther stays with me, and not Krystal, or else you'll rip him a new asshole."

Fox closed his mouth. "Please don't tell me I'm that predictable."

Miyu just smiled sweetly and tapped the side of her nose.

Fox smirked and shook his head. "Alright, I'll talk to you later. Thanks for everything once again."

"You're welcome Fox. You take care of yourself and tell everyone else we said hi," Fay said.

"I definitely will," Fox replied.

Fay then ended her call, her side fading to black, leaving only Miyu and Fox on the chatroom.

"Well I guess if I have any more of this Sleep Paralysis, I'll come to you," Fox implied.

"Guess so," Miyu replied, before her face became deathly serious. "You take care Fox and please…be careful."

And with that, the call ended. The screen turned to black before it faded back to the home page. Fox was more than a little taken aback by Miyu's parting words.

" _Be careful. What did she mean by that?_ " Fox thought." _If Miyu said that this whole Sleep Paralysis thing was considered physically non-harmful, than why did she ask me to be careful? Why won't she tell me anything?_ _What is she hiding from me?_ "

Fox immediately stopped his frantic train of thoughts, and took a deep breath. He then started to think about Miyu's last words a little harder.

" _Wait a second…maybe she just wanted me be careful out in the field. After all, I did sort of mention how we might have to save the Lylat system at any time. Maybe she was just concerned for my well-being and wanted me to be careful out there. But…why did she suddenly cut off the call like that? She didn't say goodbye, or nice talking to you or even smile at me. But then again…maybe she just got really unnerved from all my Sleep Paralysis talk. I know it unnerved me._ "

Realizing that the answers he was searching for weren't coming to him, Fox decided to drop the subject matter and get out of his room. He needed some fresh air anyways. Fox stood up from his desk and activated the door to open. He stepped out of his room and made his way down to the workout room, as he always found exercise to be a great stress reducer.

Already, Fox was feeling much better after his talk with Miyu and Fay. He at least had a better idea of what he was going though, and how it was really nothing to be too concerned about. But there was something about that last sentence of Miyu's, and how she looked when she said it, that felt slightly off to him. He wasn't sure if it was just his paranoia, from last night's ordeal, or if there was something truly off about her words.

Fox groaned as he continued on his way. " _Why can't life ever make sense for once?_ "

XXXXXXX

The rest of the day passed without incident. Fox did his workout, made himself lunch, practiced in both the Arwing simulation and shooting gallery and completed a bit of paperwork. He had even spent time reading with Krystal, as they both found it to be a great escape from reality. By the end of the day, Fox's memories of his Sleep Paralysis ordeal seemed far away.

The team eventually had dinner, cleaned up the kitchen and went off to their respective rooms. Fox shared a goodnight kiss with Krystal before he made it back to his room. He then performed his regular nightly routine. He got out of his uniform, put on another pair of white shorts, filled his glass of water to the very top and settled back into bed.

After taking note that he had already read quite a bit of his Bardy Boys book, when he was with Krystal, Fox decided against reading more tonight. Fox flipped over onto his side, and was about to turn his lamp off, when the sleep paralysis hallucinations started to flash in his mind again. Thinking about his experience not only made his skin crawl, but it also provided a bit of annoyance as well. He had made it through a good portion of the day without thinking about it, and it was only when he was about to go to sleep, that it came into his memory again.

Fox sighed. " _I'm really starting to hate my brain right now._ "

Fox started at the lamp for what seemed like an eternity. The utter exhaustion he had felt only a few minutes ago was almost completely evaporated from his system. He tried as best as he could to forget everything that had happened last night. He tried to focus on more positive things. These included everything from Krystal, his other teammates, his parents, funny videos he had watched and a slew of other things that he'd hope would make him fall asleep easier. Fox then remembered something that Falco had said earlier that day.

" _It'll probably be just like a bad day, it can only get better the next time._ "

Fox smiled before he took a few deep breaths. He turned off his lamp and again laid flat on his back. This time however, he pulled his blanket up just a little bit higher than last night. He laid there for a few moments, with only the silence to keep him company. Only one thought came into his mind, before he slipped into slumber.

" _Everything's going to be just fine. It can't get any worse from here._ "

 ***Whew* Another one finished! Hallelujah!**

 **I'm defiantly feeling pretty good about staying true to my word, by updating before September. Always makes me feel good when I can stay on top of things like that. :)**

 **As I mentioned before, I will be going back to school soon. But rest assured that I will still defiantly work on it when I have the chance. My ultimate goal is to have the next chapter up sometime in the next month or so. But don't quote me on that. :p**

 **Until then: Peace!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! Well it's been a little while since I've updated, on account of school and all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. But I've got another chapter here ready to go! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I'm happy that I can make one more update before the year was up!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer:**

 **Paralysis part 4**

"Fox…"

The sudden, feminine voice stirred Fox out of his slumber. He groggily blinked his eyes open as he desperately tried to adjust them to the dark room. His immediate instinct was to lift himself up to see who had called his name. But upon doing so, he found himself unable to move. Once again, Fox tried to move any part of his body but found that they were completely paralyzed. Fox began to panic. His initial thoughts were very similar to the night before.

" _What the hell's going on here? Why can't I move? Am I dreaming? Is something wrong with me?_ "

But before his brain could conjure up even more frantic questions, Fox suddenly remembered everything that Miyu had told him about sleep paralysis and how it was nothing to worry about. Slowly, Fox began to rationalize his thoughts and slow his heartbeat down. Although the situation was still unnerving to him, he felt a bit of comfort in knowing not only what he was going through but also how it was less supernatural than he initially thought. The only thing he wondered however, was just how he could escape this surreal predicament before anything disturbing could happen.

Fox was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he had nearly forgotten about the mysterious voice, until he heard it again.

"Fox…"

Fox's attention immediately snapped towards the unknown source of the voice. Now that his eyes had adjusted more to the darkness, Fox could see that everything in his room looked relatively normal.

" _Just like…last night_ ," Fox thought as his anxiety began to rise again.

Just then, he heard a sound coming from his closet. It sounded as if someone, or something, was shuffling around in his closet. Fox moved his eyes towards the left-hand side of the room, where his closet was situated.

For the longest time, Fox kept his eyes completely focused on the closet door, as the shuffling got louder and louder. But just as quickly as it began, the shuffling stopped and the room was encased in an eerie silence.

It was then that Fox heard another sound echo throughout his room. A giggle. A haunting, childlike giggle began to fill the room. But it wasn't just the ambiguity of the laugh that caused him to break out into a cold sweat, it was the very nature of the laugh itself. The giggle didn't sound like it came from a little girl, but rather a grown man trying to imitate a little girl. The laughing went on and on before it abruptly stopped and the room was once again silent.

Once more, Fox tried to calm himself down by thinking more positive thoughts. He closed his eyes and silently prayed, wishing he could wake up from this nightmare unscathed. But just as he felt himself relaxing a little, he felt something grab the top of his head.

Fox practically felt his heart stop. He was sure that he was the only one in the room. He didn't hear the main door, bathroom door or even the closet door open. He didn't even hear anybody walking around him. But the thing that disturbed him the most, was just how this…thing was holding onto him. It felt as if it was standing directly behind him. But the space between the bed and the wall was far too narrow for anyone to get into, let alone stand in.

Suddenly, Fox heard the voice again. But this time it sounded clearer, softer and somewhat familiar to him.

"Fox…"

Fox felt the thing remove its grip from his head. He then heard it shuffle its way out from behind his bed. Fox rapidly moved his eyes to the far left and the far right to see who it was, but there was only darkness around him.

But just as he was glancing towards his left again, Fox felt something tap him on his right shoulder. Startled, Fox quickly glanced to his right and saw someone he hadn't seen in a long time. Someone he could only barely remember from the attic of his brain.

His own mother, Vixy Mccloud, was standing right next to his bed. It was almost as if she was coming to tuck him into bed, just as Fox remembered all those years ago. Despite the darkness of the room, Fox could still make out his mother's vibrant orange fur as well as her striking green eyes. A gentle smiled was painted on her face and her eyes showed nothing but pure love and comfort.

For a while, the two simply started at each other. The intense anxiety that Fox had felt only a moment ago was slowly fading, as his mother began to gently rub his shoulder. He had even started to forget that he was in a state of sleep paralysis.

Suddenly, a series of memories began to flash before Fox's eyes like a roll of film. He began to remember everything about that fateful day when his mother's life was cut off in the blink of an eye.

XXXXXXX

It was a typical Saturday morning and a young Fox Mccloud had just finished the last of his sugar infused cereal. He quickly got up from the table, plopped himself down on the couch and grabbed the TV remote to turn on his cartoon ritual.

He had only been watching for about ten minutes when he heard a series of voices coming down the stairs.

"I don't know dear I don't want to impose…"

"Really Vixy it's nothing. I don't have to go into the city for anything today and I'll watch Fox for a while."

"Well…alright."

Fox then saw his mother and father enter the living room. He saw his father hand her a set of keys before he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. Fox immediately turned away and slightly gagged. Even though they were his parents, he still thought that thing they did was just plain icky.

Fox continued to watch his show until he felt someone wrap their arms around him and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be right back Fox. I just have to run to the store."

Fox merely nodded, the animated images on the screen capturing his attention. He heard his mother walk across the living room and then down the stairs. He then heard a door, which connected the house to the garage, opening and closing.

As the program went to a commercial break, Fox saw his father filling a mug in the kitchen before he went over and sat next to him on the couch. Neither of them realizing that their lives were about to take a dark turn.

A deafening boom echoed throughout the house. It was so sudden, and so powerful, that Fox felt himself being knocked off the couch, with a loud ringing in his ears. He glanced up and saw a look of horror begin to bloom on his dad's face. Fox heard the sound of a mug breaking behind him as he saw his dad run rapidly down the stairs. Fox tried to call out to him but his inquiries fell upon deaf ears.

With his body still rocked to the core, the young cub stumbled to his feet and tried as quickly as he could to catch up to his dad. But upon reaching the top of the stairs, the young fox saw an ugly cloud of black smoke emit its way through the open door of the garage. Fox began to cough as the house began to fill up with the toxic fumes.

But just then, his father came racing out of the garage with tears streaming down his face. Before the young cub could open his mouth to speak, he felt his dad pick him up under his shoulders and hurriedly raced him out the front door. The older fox continued running until both he and his son were across the street. His father placed him on the sidewalk before he began hysterically crying to the neighbors, who by now were outside investigating the disturbance, to dial 911.

It was only a matter of minutes before a swarm of firetrucks, police cars and even ambulances raced up the street. Fox just continued to watch, dumbfounded, as he saw his father run towards the firefighters with tears in his eyes. A group of police officers tried to restrain the hysterical man as the firemen made their way towards the fire, which by now had engulfed nearly half of the house.

It took nearly an hour for the firemen to get the blaze under control. Fox then saw an officer speak to a firefighter before he slowly walked over towards his dad, who by now was sitting in a daze on the front lawn. He tried to hear what they were saying, but found that he was too far away to hear anything. Fox then saw his father come towards him with a look that he'd never seen before. It gave him a sick feeling.

Before long, he saw his dad sit next to him on the sidewalk. For what felt like hours, the older fox simply sat in silence. Ultimately, it was the young vulpine who broke the silence.

"Daddy? What's wrong?"

No answer.

"Why isn't mommy with us?"

Still no answer.

Fox couldn't handle the silence anymore. "Daddy? Daddy? DAAAAAADDDDDYYYYY!"

Without warning, Fox felt his father wrap his arms around him in a tight grip.

"I-I'm sorry Fox," his father said through his sobs. "M-m-mommy can't be with us r-r-right now."

The young Fox then asked a plethora of questions, all relating to what his father had meant by that statement. But only a series of anguished cries answered his questions. They stayed in that pose for what felt like ages before Fox felt his father unravel his grip. His father then told him that they would be spending time at uncle Peppy's house for a while.

That night, Fox had been hurriedly put to bed by his father who claimed that he had to discuss some things, with Peppy, in private. After a few minutes of lying in bed, Fox's itch of curiosity got to be too much for him. He quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed his way towards the top of the stairs. From where he was standing, Fox could hear a set of two voices coming from the kitchen, although he mostly heard his father doing the talking. Fox heard his father telling Peppy everything that had happened earlier that day.

But the part that caught the young fox's attention the most, were the things he had not heard anything about. Mainly, the explosion was caused by a bomb planted under the hood of his dad's car. But because of his father's actions, it ended up costing his mother's life. No sooner had his father finished, that Fox heard him breakdown in tears.

Fox had heard enough. He quietly slipped back to his room and got into bed. For a while, the cub simply laid in his bed before a sickening realization finally came to him. His mother was gone, forever lost to an act of vengeance against his family. Fox then cried himself to sleep before he drifted off into a cold and lonely slumber.

XXXXXXX

Just as quickly as it began, the flashing memories ceased and Fox found himself back in his bed, still paralyzed all over. His mother was now sitting on the right-hand side of his bed. Her pleasant expression was still evident on her face.

" _It's been a long time Fox._ "

Fox froze. He had clearly heard his mother's voice, yet her lips remained unmoving the entire time. The panic on his face must have been crystal clear as soon he heard his mother say,

" _Do not be alarmed my son. Just think with your mind to talk to me. It's a dream after all. We can do anything here._ "

Fox tried to shake his head, but all he accomplished was a slight twitch.

" _Please don't say that mom_ ," Fox thought. " _It's been so long. I miss you and dad every day. It's… It's just unbelievable that I can see you again._ "

Vixy gently nodded. " _I know son. I never got the chance to let you know just how much I love you._ "

Vixy then reached over and rubbed her thumb under Fox's right eye. Fox hadn't even realized that he was crying, but then again he couldn't really feel much of anything at the moment.

" _Shhh…don't cry my son. I know how much you miss us and I know how much pain you've experienced over the years. But I just wanted to let you know that…your father and I are proud of you. Just seeing you get on with your life, after everything that's happened, has made us proud. I love you Fox and nothing will ever change that._ "

Fox felt a wave of comfort fill his body. Both his mother's words, and her tone, were so soothing he felt his eyelids grow heavy.

" _Never stop being who you are Fox. The Lylat system is blessed to have heroes like you watching over it._ "

Try as he might to keep them open, in order to see his mother for just a little while longer, he eventually let them close completely. The words continued in Fox's mind.

" _You've become so strong Fox, not to mention handsome. Krystal is more than lucky to have you as a partner. She must be the luckiest girl in the world to see your beautiful eyes every day. Why…I bet she just loves seeing your face every day. You definitely inherited your father's good looks. I mean…just look at your face, it's so…bright and masculine and perfect. Oh why couldn't I just have a face like that? I would cut you open, gut you like a fish and wear your skin just so I could so the world how beautiful you are._ "

Upon hearing these words, Fox felt his heartbeat experience an adrenaline rush. He shot his eyes open and immediately recoiled in horror. Although she still kept her foxlike features, his mother now had long, twisted grey hair that came down to her shoulders. Her face was nothing but a forest of wrinkles with many bits and pieces of her flesh dripping and sagging. Her teeth had now taken the form of fangs and were a disgusting combination of yellow and black. But the thing that disturbed Fox the most, were her eyes. Where his mother's loving green eyes had once been, there was now nothing but empty holes that dripped black ooze. In addition to her gruesome appearance, the figure had also completely changed positions. She was now sitting on top of Fox and her ugly, rotting claws were pressed tightly against his chest.

For a while, the horrifying figure simply started down at Fox with a twisted smile across her face. But just then, the figure grabbed the skin around Fox's chin and dug her sharp nails deep into his flesh. The nails were dug in so deep that Fox could feel multiple trickles of blood run down his throat. Fox then heard the voice again, only now it was a cold, hoarse shadow of his mother's voice.

" _Such a lovely face…_ "

Then, before Fox could even process the meaning of her words, the haggard woman ripped his face off in one clean motion. The pain was so unbearable that Fox tried to scream out loud but his mouth still couldn't move a muscle. He began feeling a warm, sticky fluid flow out of every square inch of his face and straight onto his bed.

After performing her gruesome deed, the old hag gave a glance at her twisted prize. A gleeful expression crossed her face, as if she were a child who had successfully won a toy from a crane game.

" _It's a face only a mother could love…_ "

Without a moment's hesitation, the hag twisted Fox's face to one side and viciously tore off a piece of it with her own teeth. She then began to laugh hysterically as she savored the ghoulish morsel.

With the hag's laugh chilling his blood, Fox shut his eyes and desperately tried to move any part of his body. Any sense of pain he felt was greatly overshadowed from the terror of the situation before him.

" _Got to wake up! Got to wake up!_ " Fox frantically thought. " _This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't…_ "

Just then, Fox felt a pair of cold, bony hands grip around his throat. Fox stayed still for a moment, not wanting to open his eyes for anything, especially not for something as horrific as that…thing. It was then that he heard another voice enter his mind, only now it didn't sound like his mother or even the other woman. This voice now resembled his own.

" _There can be only one Fox Mccloud…_ "

Startled, Fox opened his eyes and saw that the old hag was now wearing his face. A piece of flesh now missing from the left cheek. But before he could shut his eyes once again, the figure suddenly began violently squeezing Fox's throat before it began to giggle in a deranged manner. Fox's mind immediately went into a panic as he once again tried to wake himself up. As the figure continued to squeeze harder and harder, Fox found his vision growing darker and darker.

Just as Fox felt he was taking his last breath, he heard one final voice enter his mind. A calm, cool and collected voice that simply said:

" _Wake up._ "

At that exact moment, Fox suddenly found himself jerking up in his bed. He shot open his eyes and quickly turned on the lamp beside his bed. Fox then glanced back and saw that his room looked exactly as it had when he went to bed. He placed a paw to his face and felt an overwhelming sense of relief when he felt the thick fur run through his fingers.

Fox shook his head and got out of bed. He quickly walked over to the bathroom, turned on the light and closed the door. He leaned against the door and began breathing heavily. His disturbing episode continued to plague his thoughts as he tried to remember what Miyu had said to him earlier.

" _It's just a different kind of nightmare. It can't possibly hurt you in any physical way_."

Fox sighed before he went over to the sink and turned the cold knob. Fox cupped his hands under the running water and began to splash it on his face. Fox performed this procedure a total of five times before he turned off the faucet and grabbed a towel nearby. Fox gently wiped his face as he peered into the mirror. He was again relieved to see that his face was still in once piece.

Fox continued to rub his face with the towel until he felt a sharp pain underneath his chin. He swore under his breath as he cupped his chin with his right hand. Fox removed his hand and looked down at his fingers. A small sliver of blood coated his middle finger.

Startled, Fox looked in the mirror and felt his blood freeze. Under his fur, he could see an ugly collage of scratches covering his chin. Fox slowly stumbled away from the mirror as he felt a growing uneasy pit in his stomach.

" _This isn't happening,_ " Fox thought. " _I'm tired and my mind's still fuzzy. There is nothing wrong with me._ "

Fox got down on the floor and leaned back against the wall, still trying to convince himself that there was a logical explanation for all of this. He continued to do this until sleep overcame his paranoia.

 **So…yeah that happened.**

 **In all seriousness though, I hope you all enjoyed my belated Christmas gift to you guys. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed my story so far. It's always pretty cool to hear what you guys have to say!**

 **I'm not certain when I'll update next, (though it defiantly won't be in 2015 :p) but I will try to update whenever possible.**

 **I wish you all the best in the New Year! :)**

 **Peace!**


End file.
